Every so often we have client call in with a tall order. Quite literally in this case. Our friends over at Lifeboat Creative contacted us to ask about putting decals on 6’ tall rubber duckies that would be floating on the pond over at Bradley Fair during the Autumn & Art Festival.

We were happy to help with the project. No lie, it’s mostly because we were excited to see a 6’ rubber ducky in person! After all the details were hashed out and the install arranged, we were struck with doom and despair. On the day of our outdoor install, Mother Nature decided a rainy day was in order.

Hoping to find a dry spot where they could complete the job, our guys headed across town. Luckily the rain had subsided by the time they arrived. Once the duckies were inflated and the decals installed, we got our pictures and watched as they were released into the wild (more accurately, as they were shoved into the pond).

Another reason we enjoyed assisting with this project is because it was an out-of-the-box idea. We always strive to try and meet clients’ requests. Do you have a random idea that would make for a really interesting project? Let us know! You can contact us here or email sales@signsdesignwichita.com. We usually get back to quote requests within 24 hours.

Are you one of the many businesses participating in Wichita Business Exposure? If yes, we’re offering a special discount for all confirmed vendors!

Discount does not include design/art charges or install where applicable.

We create and sell a variety of items particular to trade shows and expos, including custom tents, feather banners, printed tablecloths, and promotional products. Pens, cups, and reusable bags seem to be go-to items for events such as this, but our inventory offers much, much more. Take a look at our promotional products here.

Don’t have the time to research what you’re looking for? Let us know. We’re always available to put together a promo product presentation or review signage options with you. You can contact us here or email us at ariel@signsdesignwichita.com.

Even if you aren’t in the market for a new signage, please don’t hesitate to stop by and say hello during the event. We’ll be in booth #211. L

Please don’t hesitate to stop by and say hello throughout the day. We’ll be in the same booth as last year, #211. Leave your business card with us to enter our drawing for a free, backlit frame with a custom with a Wichita Flag graphic. Hope to see you there!

Wichita Business Exposure, one of the area’s largest networking events is being held on September 28th, 10am-5pm, inside Century II. With hundreds of exhibitors and more than 1000 attendees, the event continues to grow every year.

We offer a variety of items particular to trade shows and expos, including custom tents, feather banners, printed tablecloths, and promotional products. Pens, cups, and reusable bags seem to be go-to items for events such as this, but our inventory offers much, much more. Take a look at our promotional products here. See something you’re interested in? Let us know! Not finding what you’re looking for? Call us and we’ll put together a presentation of options for you.

Please don’t hesitate to stop by and say hello throughout the day. We’ll be in the same booth as last year, #211. Leave your business card with us to enter our drawing for a free, backlit frame with custom Wichita flag print. Hope to see you there!

Today marks the 147th birthday of our lovely city, Wichita. To celebrate, we’re taking a look at recent jobs we did featuring the Wichita Flag. Check it out!

Starting with the truck: (1) Wichita Flag truck done for Auto Craft/Wichita Chamber, (2) etch installed on the front of our building, (3) backlit sign created and installed in the Wichita Chamber office, (4) velveteen plush giveaway blanket, and (5) second shot of the printed etch installed on our storefront.

The Wichita Flag truck was a fun project! When the Wichita Chamber and Auto Craft approached us about their idea, we were definitely excited! We enjoyed this particular job because it pushed us creatively, allowed us to build our full-wrap portfolio, and quite honestly, we love the bragging rights we got when the job was done. Who doesn’t want to say they’re responsible for the first Wichita Flag vehicle?

The etch is a work in progress. Unfortunately our first go ’round, the ink on the etch didn’t bleed all the way through. However, since it still looks like etched glass from the storefront, we’re not too upset. The rest of the of our storefront has window etch, so at least this is uniform with that theme. Personally, I think it’s kind of cool, like a mullet. Business in the front, party in the back! #amiright

The backlit sign. Wow. Talk about a challenging, but incredibly fun, job! We’ve done some backlit signage in the past, but we built this one totally from scratch. I’d get into all the technical mumbo jumbo, but even I don’t understand it. Luckily we have a team of installers with a very particular set of skills…skills they have acquired over a very long career (Okay. I’ll stop with the Liam Neeson references, but you can’t tell me you didn’t start reading that in his voice!).

When I pulled our Wichita Flag blanket out of the box, all I could think of was the little girl from Despicable Me screaming “It’s soo fluffy!”. This blanket is so soft. That’s probably why it’s called a velveteen plush blanket. There was no distortion on the sublimated printing, and the blanket was fairly inexpensive for a custom print. We charge $48.50 per blanket, less when you do a larger quantity.

How do you show your pride for Wichita? Do you have a flag decal on your car or maybe a cool sign or table top? If you’re currently looking for a custom flag product, give us a shout. Whether it’s wall art, decals, or an actual flag, we can help you out.

Prepping for trade shows can be stressful. It’s hard to put together a rockin’ display and find awesome swag, let alone mentally prep yourself to talk with people for hours on end! Think about the last time you went to an expo. Were you motivated to stop by the booths with a simple banner and no promotional items? Or were you drawn to the booths with a vibrant display and tons of freebies? That’s what we thought.

Take a look at our cheat sheet for the ideal expo display—

1) An eye-catching backdrop is probably the single most-important part of your display. Don’t overwhelm attendees by making your backdrop verbiage heavy. Go for your logo/business name, pertinent contact information, and maybe a few products or services you offer. Bonus points if you can use photos instead of words to show available products and/or services.

The point of this product is to draw people to your booth and give them a brief idea of what your company has to offer. At Signs & Design we offer several backdrop options starting at just $170.

2) Additional signage like the retractable banners featured in this booth is the perfect way to provide more information to event attendees. Retractable banners aren’t your only option either. A-frame signs or a simple foamcore sign on an easel are more price-conscious options. The retractable banners are a great choice for those who frequently attend trade shows because they collapse down and come with a carrying case. A-frames can be bulky and difficult to transport without a larger vehicle. Foamcore signs are easily damaged if you aren’t careful with them; however they are great for one-time uses.

3) We love, love, love our full-dye sublimated tablecloths. They are full-color and can be machine washed and dried! They are less cumbersome to hang on a table than banners, and quite honestly, they’re not that much more expensive. A 6’ tablecloth runs $150, and the 8’ runs $180. An 8’ x 4’ banner costs $144.

4) While your tradeshow booth is a first impression of your business, the swag is leaves a lasting impression on your potential client. Statistically speaking, people like useful freebies the best. Tech comes in at a close second though. Stadium cups, pens, and bags are fairly popular items, but don’t limit yourself. We’ve got a database with over 800,000 promotional items. The sky’s the limit!

One of our latest favorites is the Revablend. It’s this awesome blender bottle that literally has a blender blade at the bottom. We put the sample to use almost every day!

5) Setting up a TV or computer in your booth is a savvy choice for numerous reasons. First, it’s a great way to display more information (like photos or video) of your products and services. As a sign shop, this is something we utilize anytime we can. It’s not like we can bring in a storefront, semi, or monument sign. Thus, we use a laptop with a slideshow of our favorite jobs/products.

Second, people don’t always want to talk to you. Sometimes they just want to grab their freebies, maybe watch a short clip about your company, and move on to the next booth. Not ideal, but hey, not everyone wants to listen to a spiel, no matter how friendly you are. Using a video or slideshow in this instance is a passive way of reaching out to more people.

6) Last, but certainly not least, we always recommend having seating. Standing in one place for eight hours or more is hard on your knees. We try to pad the floor of our exhibit with interlocking square cushions, but you still start to feel aches and pains after a few hours. Do yourself a favor and find chairs that blend in with your display (like the orange stools in Konexial’s booth). They offer your poor feet a reprieve throughout the event.

Do you recommend any other vital trade show products? We’d love to hear your suggestions. If you’re in the market for new display materials, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can reach us by emailing ariel@signsdesignwichita.com or through Facebook.

We’ve been waiting for what seems like FOREVER to show off our latest creation! Check out the giant book we created for the Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting. Shark Tank’s Daymond John will be the featured speaker this year, and a few of Wichita’s local entrepreneurs will get to pitch ideas to him. How exciting is that?!

The event is on December 1st at 5pm. Ticket prices start at $35. For more information, contact the Wichita Chamber.

Do you have a unique idea for your upcoming event? Let us know! We love when clients challenge us with creative projects.

Mike and Carolyn have always been quite involved in their church, Aldersgate. Recently the church decided to open a second campus in Wichita. So it was no surprise that we got to help create tons of signage for the ReNew campus. While we take pride in all of our work, we’re particularly proud of the custom monument sign below.

Eye catching, isn’t it? The lime and brushed aluminum really pop against the dark brown aluminum. And, the added panel with worship times down at the bottom makes the sign feel complete. Monument signs can come with a hefty price tag, but they are also worth the investment. A quality monument sign will last for years, and using removable panels like the acrylic down at the bottom of this one ensures that you can change information with ease. Interested in a monument sign of your own? Contact us today for a quote.